Hospitals, care centers, and the like, generally tend to use more and more disposable medical devices in their daily operation. Disposable medical devices are used as they generally require no post use sorting, sterilization or washing facilities. Instead, as their name suggests, they can simply be disposed. The amount of medical waste, such as used needles, contaminated medical devices, e.g. infusion sets or the like, is thus growing. Although there are several advantages with disposable items, medical waste generally tends to require considerations during and after disposal.
A nurse taking a blood sample using a needle, places the needle in a safe environment, i.e. an environment which has a limited access. The limited access after use prevents staff from unnecessary exposure and the risk there from. Sealable containers are frequently used for this purpose. Generally such sealable containers are made from stainless steel, aluminum or a similar metal, and after being filled with medical waste, the containers are simply sealed using an ordinary screw lid. The sealed containers can thereafter be brought to an incinerator for destruction or optionally for sterilization before going to a recycle plant or a land fill.
However, during use, e.g. as the sealed containers are moved to their end station, persons handling the sealed containers are exposed to the risk of accidentally opening the sealed container, or for any other reason, the sealed container would be opened or break. As such there is a constant need to improve the methods and devices used for sealing containers, and especially for sealing medical waste containers.